Helen Hunt's father, actor-filmmaker Gordon Hunt, dies at 87

Actor-filmmaker Gordon Hunt, who directed hundreds of cartoons for television as well as sitcoms like Mad About You, has passed away at the age of 87.

Hunt died on Saturday night at his home in Sherman Oaks after a battle with Parkinson's disease, his daughter and Oscar-winning actress Helen Hunt told hollywoodreporter.com.

"He was a master of reinvention, a journeyman artiste. He knew and taught that the work doesn't always find you. You need to create and re-create the work every day," Helen said in a statement to ET Online.

Starting in the early 1980s, Hunt, who had served for years as the casting director at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles, spent about a decade at the famed animation house Hanna-Barbera, coming in to run its voice department.

He went on to work as the recording director on cartoons featuring The Smurfs, Richie Rich, The Jetsons, Super Friends, The Flintstones, Scooby-Doo and many others.

Hunt also directed episodes of other sitcoms including Caroline in the City, Coach, Frasier and Suddenly Susan.

Apart from Helen, Hunt is survived by his wife, B.J. Ward, a voice actress, daughter Colleen, brothers George and Peter, and grandchildren Makena, Emmett and Lizze.